1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates to the field of userprogrammable anti-fuse elements. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods for programming anti-fuse elements.
2. The Prior Art
Fusible links and other memory type elements used in present semiconductor technology either require little current (as in electrically erasable programmable read only memories known as EEPROMS) or have a clearly-defined final condition (e.g., a normal fuse, which is simply an open circuit once blown). In the case of the EEPROM, the method used is to double or multiply by some other factor the time at which the element first appears to have been programmed. This technique is much more sensitive, and improves the uniformity of the programmed device. This technique, however, results in programming times which are significantly increased, and, if applied to anti-fuse elements, which exhibit programming times on the order of several milliseconds, would result in prohibitively long programming times. There is thus a need in the art for a method of programming anti-fuse elements which results in reliably programmed devices, but which does not consume an inordinate amount of time.